Tropical Mango Green Smoothie Recipe
If you are new to a plant-based vegan diet or thinking about it, this green smoothie is a really easy and delicious way to get greens into your body. This was one of the first things I made along my journey to becoming fully plant-based vegan. A good way to start getting healthy is to think about adding things into your diet versus taking things away. The more good stuff you add into your diet the less and less you will crave the junk. Believe me your taste buds will change the more you add all the wonderful fruits and veggies.
A good way to start getting healthy is to think about adding things into your diet versus taking things away.
Green Smoothie Flavorful and Full of Health
This is one of my favorite green smoothies. It’s creamy, flavorful and full of health! Seriously, I dream about this smoothie. Cardamon imparts a strong unique taste and is intensely aromatic. A little goes a long way, only a small amount is needed to add flavor. Combine cardamon with lime and ginger and you have a winning combination.
Plant-based Smoothie Ingredients
This smoothie is rich in vitamins, full of phytonutrients and flavonoids to give you maximum antioxidant protection. Mangos are known to improve digestion and bone health and fun fact: Mango is the most widely consumed fruit in the world. For this recipe I used frozen mango. If it’s difficult to get fresh mangos, organic frozen mangos are usually easy to find and plentiful. You can get organic frozen mangos from Whole Foods. You can also get them at Costco for a decent price. If you do have fresh mangos I would suggest that you peel, dice and freeze (overnight) the mango chunks before using in this smoothie.
Fun Fact: Mango is the most widely consumed fruit in the world.
The minced ginger in this drink helps digestion and nausea and helps improve the immune system. You can use fresh ginger, peeled and minced or if you want to save time you can also buy minced ginger. I love the organic minced ginger made by The Ginger People.
I also included flax ground seeds in this recipe. Flax seeds are high in omega 3 fatty acids and lingans. Both of which combat heart disease and some cancers. Also, the high fiber content of flax seeds provides energy to the body minus all the fat while also helping to reduce inflammation in the body. You can find ground flax seeds at most health food stores including Whole Foods. Flax seeds tend to become rancid rather quickly so buy small amounts and keep it in the freezer to help preserve it a bit longer.
Cardamon improves cholesterol and blood circulation. It’s good for digestion problems including heartburn, intestinal spasms, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), intestinal gas, constipation, liver and gallbladder complaints, and loss of appetite.
Bananas are “loaded with essential vitamins and minerals such as potassium, calcium, manganese, magnesium, iron, folate, niacin, riboflavin, and B6.” These all contribute to the proper functioning of the body and keeping you healthy. The high content of potassium in bananas makes it a superfruit and adds a bit of healthy sweetness to the smoothie. Frozen bananas are great for this recipe. If you love bananas like I do and buy too much you can freeze them. Just peel the bananas, slice into chunks, place onto a pan and freeze overnight. Once they are frozen you can transfer to a freezer bag for use later.
Spinach is wonderful. It’s low in fat and even lower in cholesterol, it is high in niacin, zinc, as well as protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and manganese. It’s loaded with good things for every part of your body.
Now onto the mango cardamom green smoothie recipe. I hope you enjoy this tasty treat.
- 6 oz. coconut water or plain water
- Juice from half a lime
- Zest from half a lime
- 1 tsp. minced ginger
- 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds
- 1 tsp. cardamom
- 2 big handfuls of spinach
- 1 cup frozen mango
- ½ a frozen medium banana
- Shredded coconut, goji berries and/or chia seeds for garnish - optional
- Add all the ingredients as listed (except for the coconut, goji berries, chia seeds). It’s important to put the frozen fruit last so that it’s on top of the spinach. The weight of the frozen fruit will push everything into the blades of the blender.
- Set to the puree setting on a Vitamix or other high speed blender for 2-3 mins. at medium-high speed.
- Pour into a tall glass and garnish with shredded coconut and/or chia seeds. Drink up and enjoy! To your health.
Enjoy!
